DEPARTURE: October 14, 2018

DURATION: 9 Days

ARRIVAL CITY: Santo Domingo

DEPARTURE CITY: Santo Domingo

COST: $1695

Volunteers will be working in ISL partner communities to provide global health services to those in need. While in the Dominican Republic they will also have the opportunity to learn valuable skills and explore the cultural landscape in a meaningful way.

Global Health Teams

ISL’s global health teams are interdisciplinary and able to provide a variety of general medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, healthcare management, and nutrition services in developing communities. From urban centers to small towns and villages in remote areas, our teams work in various settings to provide field clinics in which patient needs are assessed and acute conditions are treated.

Regardless of background, volunteers are able to receive an invaluable opportunity to not only interactively observe health professionals in action, but to actively assist with important aspects of health care under careful supervision. Our holistic approach makes ISL’s global health teams ideal for students of the health professions at all education levels.

Dominican Republic

Beyond the capital, much of the DR is distinctly rural: driving in the vast fertile interior, you’ll see cows and horses grazing alongside the roads, tractors ploughing large fields, and trucks and burros loaded down with produce. Further inland you’ll encounter vistas reminiscent of the European Alps, rivers carving their way through lush jungle, stunning waterfalls, and small towns where life revolves around the Parque Central. Four of the five highest peaks in the Caribbean rise above the fertile lowlands surrounding Santiago, and remote deserts extend through the southwest, giving the DR a physical and cultural complexity not found on other islands.

Although a place of great beauty, the Dominican Republic is also a place of great need, as the disparity between the wealthy and the needy continues to grow. ISL serves both rural and urban shanty communities near Santo Domingo and areas in the southwestern part of the Dominican Republic near the Haitian border.

Teams to the Dominican Republic fly into Santo Domingo and travel southwest towards Haiti, working with orphanages and clinics in order to provide the poor and underserved with much needed health services. Teams participate in public health surveying and assist local, licensed medical professionals in field clinics.

Teams to the Dominican Republic & Haiti will spend time working in areas near Santo Domingo, DR, and in a Haitian clinic a few miles across the border in the southeastern part of Haiti. Teams will not be lodged in Haiti, but will spend each night in the Dominican Republic.

*All Inclusive programs include all meals and recreation, so bring funds only to cover personal spending and departure tax.

Meet the Staff

Dr. William Jimenez

Medical Educator

Dr. Jimenez is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He has worked as an assistant professor of histology for almost four years. He has a strong interest in research and plans to do an internship at the National Direction of Health Research at the DR Ministry of Public Health. Dr. Jimenez see partnering with ISL volunteers as “a once in a lifetime opportunity to… Read more

Evelyn Puello

Country Coordinator and Team Leader

Evelyn has worked with ISL since 2009 and says she feels “extremely happy to have the opportunity to connect amazing volunteers with Dominican and Haitian communities, contributing to improve the health of many”. Her focus is to ensure that teams feel part of the community while improving their clinical skills, learning about collaborative work, and of course, having fun! (And maybe even learning how to… Read more

*All Inclusive programs include all meals and recreation, so bring funds only to cover personal spending and departure tax.

Itinerary

Dominican Republic/Haiti

Sample Global Health Itinerary

9 Day Program

Important Program Note: Teams will participate in some of the following global health activities: Hospital tours, home visits, institutional assignments, community clinics and health screenings stations, and school screenings/health education sessions. Therefore, time periods noted as “Global Health Activities” may refer to any of the above, to be determined based on volunteer expertise level and needs of our community at the time.